Tux will stay with his new best friend, thanks to the generosity of many.
An effort to raise enough money for Steve Benacci, a Millcreek Township native and U.S. Army captain currently serving in Saudi Arabia, to formally adopt and bring home Tux, a mixed-breed male dog Benacci has been fostering, has exceeded its $3,000 goal.
All of the money raised beyond what is needed to bring Tux to the United States will now go toward helping other members of the military adopt pets befriended overseas, according to the organization that spearheaded the fundraising campaign for Tux.
The campaign was launched in early January through Puppy Rescue Mission, an organization created to assist soldiers serving overseas in bringing home animals they befriended and bonded with. Its goal was to raise $3,000 to cover Tux’s immunizations, quarantine and his trip to the United States.
The goal of the campaign, which was profiled in an Erie Times-News story on Monday, was met on Wednesday morning. By Friday, 96 contributors had donated a total of $4,028, according to information on the Puppy Rescue Mission’s website.
More: Effort underway to help U.S. Army captain & Millcreek native keep Tux, his canine companion
“I’ve just been overwhelmed with all the support and feeling so blessed and so thankful to know Tux will be able to stay with us and enjoy life and know the love I feel dogs should know,” Benacci’s wife, Christy Benacci, an Erie native, said in a text to the Erie Times-News.
The Benaccis currently live in Iowa but still have family in the Erie area.
Anna Maria Chiasson, president and founder of the Texas-based Puppy Rescue Mission, said in an email to the Erie Times-News that officials are beyond amazed at the generosity of Benacci’s supporters in Erie and are eager to get Tux home.
Chiasson said the organization has plenty of other rescue missions that will benefit from the money raised beyond the $3,000 goal for Tux.
“We currently have 16 rescues waiting for funding all across the world from Jordan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Syria and Iraq,” she said in the email. “Every extra dollar is a tremendous help right now as the pandemic hit us extremely hard as many of our rescues got stuck for months in their originating countries and put them all way over budget.”
Chiasson said the challenges drained the organization’s accounts significantly, making it difficult to keep taking on every request coming in. But Puppy Rescue Mission is doing its best with what it has, she said.
Chiasson said that, at Benacci’s request, the organization will fly Tux home closer to when Benacci’s deployment ends early this summer as he wishes to keep Tux with him as long as he is able to.
Christy Benacci said Tux and her husband have bonded during the more than six months that Benacci has fostered the dog. She said Tux, who is believed to be less than a year old, was among a found litter of four puppies. Three of the puppies were quickly adopted, but Tux has remained with Benacci after two planned adoptions fell through and the COVID-19 pandemic halted further adoption efforts, Christy Benacci said.
The decision was then made to make Tux part of the Benacci family, which includes two cats and two other dogs, all rescues.
Christy Benacci said her husband is “beyond happy and grateful” that the generosity of others is enabling him to keep Tux, and that he now doesn’t have to worry about what would happen to the dog — a beloved pet that soon will meet the Benacci family in the United States.
“We are looking forward to all his first experiences,” Christy Benacci said in her text.
An effort to raise enough money for Steve Benacci, a Millcreek Township native and U.S. Army captain currently serving in Saudi Arabia, to formally adopt and bring home Tux, a mixed-breed male dog Benacci has been fostering, has exceeded its $3,000 goal.
All of the money raised beyond what is needed to bring Tux to the United States will now go toward helping other members of the military adopt pets befriended overseas, according to the organization that spearheaded the fundraising campaign for Tux.
The campaign was launched in early January through Puppy Rescue Mission, an organization created to assist soldiers serving overseas in bringing home animals they befriended and bonded with. Its goal was to raise $3,000 to cover Tux’s immunizations, quarantine and his trip to the United States.
The goal of the campaign, which was profiled in an Erie Times-News story on Monday, was met on Wednesday morning. By Friday, 96 contributors had donated a total of $4,028, according to information on the Puppy Rescue Mission’s website.
More: Effort underway to help U.S. Army captain & Millcreek native keep Tux, his canine companion
“I’ve just been overwhelmed with all the support and feeling so blessed and so thankful to know Tux will be able to stay with us and enjoy life and know the love I feel dogs should know,” Benacci’s wife, Christy Benacci, an Erie native, said in a text to the Erie Times-News.
The Benaccis currently live in Iowa but still have family in the Erie area.
Anna Maria Chiasson, president and founder of the Texas-based Puppy Rescue Mission, said in an email to the Erie Times-News that officials are beyond amazed at the generosity of Benacci’s supporters in Erie and are eager to get Tux home.
Chiasson said the organization has plenty of other rescue missions that will benefit from the money raised beyond the $3,000 goal for Tux.
“We currently have 16 rescues waiting for funding all across the world from Jordan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Syria and Iraq,” she said in the email. “Every extra dollar is a tremendous help right now as the pandemic hit us extremely hard as many of our rescues got stuck for months in their originating countries and put them all way over budget.”
Chiasson said the challenges drained the organization’s accounts significantly, making it difficult to keep taking on every request coming in. But Puppy Rescue Mission is doing its best with what it has, she said.
Chiasson said that, at Benacci’s request, the organization will fly Tux home closer to when Benacci’s deployment ends early this summer as he wishes to keep Tux with him as long as he is able to.
Christy Benacci said Tux and her husband have bonded during the more than six months that Benacci has fostered the dog. She said Tux, who is believed to be less than a year old, was among a found litter of four puppies. Three of the puppies were quickly adopted, but Tux has remained with Benacci after two planned adoptions fell through and the COVID-19 pandemic halted further adoption efforts, Christy Benacci said.
The decision was then made to make Tux part of the Benacci family, which includes two cats and two other dogs, all rescues.
Christy Benacci said her husband is “beyond happy and grateful” that the generosity of others is enabling him to keep Tux, and that he now doesn’t have to worry about what would happen to the dog — a beloved pet that soon will meet the Benacci family in the United States.
“We are looking forward to all his first experiences,” Christy Benacci said in her text.
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